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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Welcome Sandra Ulbrich Almazan!

Welcome Sandra Ulbrich Almazan!

About the Author

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn’t been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middle school. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon’s Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story “A Reptile at the Reunion” was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. She is a founding member of BroadUniverse and a long-time member of the Online Writing Workshop for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her current day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she’s also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.

Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live the role first.

In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21st century Earth, Paul discovers he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple question in comparison....

Twinned Universes Excerpt –Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

Great-Uncle Jack turned around, pinning him with a glance. Before Paul could seek shelter by talking to someone else, Great-Uncle Jack came over. “Hello, Paul.” His dark eyes gleamed. “How are you feeling?”

Paul glanced at the urn. Mom had always buffered him when he’d met with his great-uncle before. He blinked against the moisture prickling his eyes, hoping he’d scrubbed away all traces of the tears he’d shed earlier. He couldn’t show weakness now.

“You miss her, don’t you, even if you don’t want to admit it,” Great-Uncle Jack continued. “You don’t have to look at me like that; I was a teenager too. None of us Lyons are good at showing our emotions.”

“I’m an actor. I can show all sorts of emotions: anger, joy, sorrow, fear….” Paul put on a dopey grin, caught his grandfather’s shocked stare, and let his face revert back to neutral.

“I’m not talking about acting.” Great-Uncle Jack draped an arm over his shoulders and tugged him towards the hall. “You need to express your deepest feelings.”

“Then I’d like to find out how she got exposed to that stupid virus.” Was it those ugly roses? And why didn’t Cass and I get so sick, even though we did have the same virus? Why didn’t I get rid of those flowers before Mom saw them? It’s all my fault....

Great-Uncle Jack paused to study a holo showing angels carrying people into clouds. When he looked at Paul again, his expression seemed more mask-like than a face mesh did. “It was an occupational hazard. Why don’t you take your mind off of things for a while and stay on Earth? There’s plenty of room in my penthouse. You could have all the latest stuff and go anywhere you want.” His grip on Paul’s shoulder tightened. “What do you say?”

Paul’s heart beat faster at the idea. After leave on Earth, the Sagan always seemed too confining. Once he turned eighteen, he’d have complete freedom. He’d have a lot more acting opportunities with Ramirez’s troupe; maybe he could even audition for a holo....

But Mom wouldn’t be there; she’d never accompany him to an audition or attend one of his performances again. There’d always be an empty seat in the audience where she should be. How could he think about acting or having fun on Earth when she hadn’t been laid to rest yet?

Paul sighed, but he shook his head. “Thanks for the offer. It sounds great, but Mom would want me to stay with Dad and Cass.”

“You’re old enough to make your own choices. You can do whatever you want—even if Jo wouldn’t approve.” Great-Uncle Jack lowered his voice and drew Paul near, like a conspirator. “I can give you more freedom on Earth than you’ll ever get in that cramped old spaceship.”